Weekend Roundup – July 27/28
Preston First XI v Hemel Hempstead Town CC
Another loss for the Preston First XI. Hemel won the toss and elected to bat and posted 233/5 of their 60 overs with a notable contribution from H. Ilangaratne, who scored 114 from 181 balls before being run out by Preston’s Omar Faleel. Skipper Ed Wharton took 2 for 40 of his 18 overs, and Wigginton and Simpson took 1 wicket apiece. In response, Preston was bowled out for 164 due to E. Pike’s 5/23 and L. Bertin’s 3/13. Wharton (30 of 46 balls), Wigginton (38 of 69 balls) and Gallimore (43 of 81) all got off to good starts as Preston lost by 69 runs.
Preston Second XI v North Enfield CC
Preston 2s were narrowly defeated in a close-fought game away at North Enfield. Preston’s 2s won the toss and elected to bowl on a slow wicket. However, it was Kieran Jones again with bat and ball that thwarted Preston. North Enfield finished on 205/3 with Jones scoring 107, despite Preston’s Dillon Beattie bowling well with figures of 1/9 from his 5 overs. Preston’s run chase started brilliantly, with openers Warren Hearne (61 runs) and Pushan Chakraborty (46 runs) putting on 125 for the first wicket. However, it was Kieran Jones with the ball, taking 5/27 of his 9 overs, that took the win away from Preston. With 10 needed of the last over, Oscar Dunham Welch’s fighting 44* took Preston extremely close, but they lost by an agonising 5 runs as they finished on 200/7.
Preston Third XI v Berkhamsted CC
A win for the 3s in the last over! Berkhamsted won the toss and elected to bat, with C. Fleming scoring 92 of 99 balls as they finished on 207/7. Ian Purton (3/42) and Oliver Jackson (3/31) bowled effective and miserly spells, preventing any other Berkhamsted batters from passing 50. In reply, the ageless James Battersby scored 60 of 82 balls, and Zabihullah Stanikzai’s 32 of 34 balls helped Preston chase Berkhamsted’s total down eventually. W. Pinnock’s 3/25 meant Preston were 9 down and needed 1 run of the last over, but Purton’s experience and composure took them home with 1 ball to spare.
Preston 4th XI v Harrold CC
A rare loss for the 4s. Old Albanians won the toss and batted first. They were bowled out for 175, with Preston’s Andrew Riant taking 3/26. Preston’s batting reply was thwarted by a great opening spell from Arshad Iqbal, who took 3/10, and Aran Black ended the game with 3/13. This led to Preston being bowled out for 87. The 4s look to bounce back next week and continue their successful season.
Preston Sunday 1st XI v Olney Town CC
A huge win for the Preston 1s! Olney Town won the toss and elected to bowl. Olney Town’s bowlers started well, taking 3 wickets in the first 10 overs. However, Pushan Chakraborty and Luke Ponder’s 100-run partnership under pressure was a sight to behold. Ponder finished on a stunning 44, while Chakraborty scored his maiden 100 and was not out at the end of the innings. They took Preston to 233/7 in their 40 overs. In response, Olney Town were bowled out for 171 with Dillon Beattie continuing on his stellar season, finishing on 4/31of his 5 overs. Overall, a great win for the Sunday 1s, who are only 4 points away from the relegation zone.
Preston Sunday 2nd XI v Henlow CC
Henlow won the toss and bowled first, with Preston finishing on 143/6 of their 40 overs. This was largely due to David Fleckney’s 56* and Neil Brearly’s 33. In the second innings, Harry Fleckney took 3/41 and Rishabh Srinivasan took 3/14, but that was unfortunately not enough as Henlow won by 3 wickets in the 36th over.